NACH WAXMAN’S BRISKET OF BEEF

10 to 12 servings

Makes:

1 (6 -pound) first-cut beef brisket, trimmed so that a thin layer of fat remains

All-purpose flour, for dusting

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons corn oil

8 medium onions, peeled and thickly sliced

3 tablespoons

1. Preheat the oven to 3 7 5 F.

2. Lightly dust the brisket with flour, and then sprinkle with pepper to taste. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot or other heavy pot with a lid just large enough to hold the brisket snugly. Add the brisket to the pot and brown on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 5 to 7 minutes per side.

3. Transfer the brisket to a platter, turn up the heat a bit, then add the onions to the pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the onions have softened and developed a rich brown color but aren’t yet caramelized, 1 0 to 1 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and place the brisket and any accumulated juices on top of the onions.

5. Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were icing a cake. Sprinkle with salt and more pepper to taste, and then add the garlic and carrot to the pot. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and tomato paste Kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

1 carrot, peeled and trimmed

cook the brisket for 1 hours.

6. Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using a very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately

-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Check the seasonings and, if necessary, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the pot.

7. Cover the pot and return to the oven. Lower the heat to 3 2 5 F and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, about 2 more hours. Check once or twice during cooking to make sure that the liquid is not bubbling away. If it is, add a few more teaspoons of water, but no more. Also, each time you check, spoon some of the liquid on top of the roast so that it drips down between the slices.

8. Cool, cover and refrigerate. To reheat, cover and bake in a 3 2 5 -degree oven for about 1 hour or until it is piping hot. Serve immediately.